Still a couple of performances left to sponsor at the Northants premiere of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast

Just a few days left to confirm whether you’re onboard with the Northants’ premiere of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. A number of local companies have already jumped at the chance to be involved. After all, why wouldn’t you? It’s a low cost, high profile marketing opportunity.

To find out more, call Lynne on 07504 955654 by the end of November.

Just one other thing to note: the dates of the show are now 11-15 May 2011 with evening performances every day and matinees on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. A chance from those previously published – well you can’t plan for everything when it comes to the theatre!

Image by kind permission of Christopher Yorke-Edwards and Chelmsford Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society

Your chance to sponsor the Northants premiere of Disney’s ‘Beauty and the Beast’, the musical

Want to benefit from a low cost, high profile, local marketing opportunity? Then perhaps you should sponsor the Northants premiere of Disney’s ‘Beauty and the Beast’, the musical…

It is going to be a phenomenal show, hopefully a complete sell out. Well it certainly has been in other parts of the UK, where it has been appearing over the last few months. So there’s no reason why it shouldn’t be here.

Kettering based amateur group, KOS, is staging it at the Lighthouse Theatre Kettering next May but the production costs run into tens of thousands of pounds. With all their shows, they engage a professional director, musical director, choreographer and orchestra. Then there’s the licence fees to consider, which being a Disney show you can probably imagine are fairly substantial. So they need help from local businesses. People like you.

What we need is eight companies who will each sponsor an individual performance and be featured in all the marketing and publicity that will happen over the next six months. The show starts on Monday 9 May and runs until Saturday 14 May 2011, with evening shows every day and matinees on Wednesday and Saturday.

What’s in it for you?
Well here’s six good reasons to support this show just for starters:

1. An opportunity to communicate with people of Kettering and the surrounding area (towns and villages) for a relatively low cost.
2. Exposure – your logo will appear on marketing and publicity materials.
3. Press coverage – we have an extensive plan to get maximum coverage on this show both in print, on the radio and maybe even TV (as it is the Disney version premiere).
4. Advertising – a half page advertisement in the show guide.
5. The opportunity to have a banner and marketing materials in the theatre foyer.
6. FREE tickets (number depends on how much sponsorship you take but it is a great show to take important clients or even your valued staff to).

We know we’re asking you to spend in a time of cut-backs and tightening belts but a) the arts need your support and b) we are business people ourselves, so we know how important it is to promote yourself during these difficult times. What’s more, you won’t have to pay anything out yet, so you’ve plenty of time to budget for it. And it’s better than giving this money to the tax man!

To find out more about this exciting marketing opportunity, call Lynne on 07504 955654 or email lynne@spot-on-creative.co.uk today.

Images by kind permission of Christopher Yorke-Edwards and Chelmsford Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society.

Spot On’s MD is the new editor of ‘Barton Today’, the magazine that’s read by more people in Earls Barton than any other local publication

It’s official. Lynne Dickens, managing director of Spot On Creative Services Ltd has taken over as the new editor of ‘Barton Today’ magazine, with effect from the January 2011 issue.

For those of you who don’t know about Barton Today, it’s most definitely time you did! It is a full colour, A4 glossy magazine that’s read by more people in Earls Barton than any other local publication, fact.

Not only that, it is hand delivered, free of charge through the letterbox of each home and business in what is actually the largest village in the UK.

Under the new ownership, the magazine is about to grow in size and enjoy a little face lift.

“Great content, totally up to date and relevant. In fact a thoroughly good read.”

That’s what people tend to say about Barton Today. Lynne and her team might be changing its appearance but will not taking away any of the previous features. “We know the readers love them,” she says. “The only thing we are doing is changing the flow of the magazine and adding a few new sections.”

Barton Today is always packed full of local stories, news and events. From fashion to food, education to sports, motoring to property, it’s all there and more!

Interviews, articles, quizzes, competitions and special offers. Anything that’s relevant to local people and businesses. Because thanks to the commitment and pure hard work of the previous owner and editor, Colin Suter, that’s who the magazine has been developed to support.

So building on that very sound base, every month there will be major stories combined with regular stuff such as:

• In the news – a pictorial account of whose done what
• In business (relevant stories about businesses in and around Earls Barton)
• Churches today
• Pet’s corner (incorporating ‘the Dogfather’ because you wouldn’t want to miss his humorous yet invaluable tips and advice)
• Local charities and fund raising activities
• Topical health issues
• Sports news and fixtures
• The arts
• Music reviews
• Barton’s Got Talent – photographs, stories, art and poems by local people
• Council update – who else tells you exactly what’s going on where you live?
• Readers letters

And if that’s not enough, there’ll be exclusive reader offers from top restaurants, bars, shops, hotels and gyms.

The village magazine that’s read by more people in Earls Barton than any other ‘local’ publications

Over the course of 2011, you will begin to see the news being spread even further.

First Lynne will be taking the magazine to more and more shops, hotels, restaurants and other establishments around Northamptonshire. And secondly, she plans to include occasional supplements for other villages nearby.

Apart from those who subscribe to the magazine – mainly those who’ve moved away from the area – everyone else gets to read it for FREE. There will also be an online version (page flip) that can be accessed by anyone with an internet connection.

Advertising rates are incredibly reasonable for this glossy A4, 64-page full colour magazine. Especially when compared to other similar publications.

Even better, if you book a series of advertisements (either 3 or 6 months), you are guaranteed a FREE web advertisement.

Currently, you’ll find the Barton Today website at www.bartontoday.org and it won’t be long until that has a facelift too. Watch this space for details!

For editorial enquiries, contact editor@bartontoday.co.uk.

Download the media pack BartonToday_MediaPack

25 years at the top of his game

1985. A year of significant events. The first mobile phone call was made in the UK by the much-loved comedian Ernie Wise. Remember the Motorola Brick? British scientists first discovered a hole in the earth’s ozone layer. Clive Sinclair made a first by launching the infamous Sinclair C5 electrical tricycle. And Charles Ward first opened his doors to his commercial photographic studio, CWP, in a lovely converted barn in Earls Barton.

“Back then, things were very different,” says Charles, “Most of our photography would be heavily propped with ornate backgrounds and we would often use coloured lighting effects, vastly different from today’s minimalist world of cut-out photography on white backgrounds.

“It was about this time that we started experimenting with one of the very first Apple Macs that had just appeared on the scene. A compact little number with a 9” black and white screen and a floppy drive! A far cry from the ones we use today but back then they were state-of-the-art.”

It’s having a passion for new technology that has always helped Charles stay ahead of his game. In 1989, for example, he was one of the first photographers in the UK to introduce revolutionary high-level photography. He would be found taking high quality shots by remote control from the top of an 80ft telescopic mast, offering a real alternative to his aerial photography service.

Then in 1997, he became one of the first photographers in the Midlands to go digital. It was with a Leaf DCB Camera Back to be precise, a high-end camera with a resolution of 6 million pixels. One of the very best cameras on the market at that time.

Having gained a reputation for being a progressive company, it was around that time that Dr Martens approached CWP about photographing their latest footwear range – something Charles is delighted still to be doing today. “I’ve lost count of how many pairs of shoes or boots have passed through this studio over the last two decades,” he exclaims. But it’s quite apt, since he began his working career in the boot and shoe industry.

Food photography is another of Charles’ specialities. Literally thousands of dishes have been created and shot, on site and on location. To make life easier for his clients, Charles had a professional development kitchen installed in the downstairs studio. Some days, it’s like walking into any professional working kitchen with a team of chefs, except you’ll also find food stylists and a photographer in the mix.

According to Charles, the digital age has really speeded things up. “Back in the early days, we used to take a Polaroid photo first to check the composition, lighting and angles were right before shooting with film. Then there was the development of the transparencies and scanning to contend with, before the client could see the finished results.”

“Nowadays, with our online digital asset management system, clients can see the shots within seconds of them being taken, either in the studio or on their computer or WAP enabled phone. We can even send high resolution, print quality images virtually anywhere in the world minutes later. It’s been a really packed 25 years and we’ve some exciting new plans for the future.” Watch this space!

Show your customers you mean business

How sure are you that your customers think you’re the best? Could they be shopping around right now? Spot On is delighted to add ‘customer satisfaction reviews’ to its list of services.

Maybe it’s something you know you ought to do but either haven’t got the time or the staffing resources at the moment. But we have.

We can the right level of expertise and skills required to carry out a review on your behalf, whether it be just a short customer survey or much more detailed research. What’s more, we’ll analyse all the results and make recommendations for improvement.

So if you want to remain ‘numero uno’, why not talk to us today!

Features. Advantages. Benefits. Which sells the hardest?

Sound familiar?

The 2009 model has a 220-horsepower V8 engine, anti-lock brakes, traction control, automatic safety restraint system and both front and side-impact airbags.

Pretty impressive, eh? Or is it? Actually it’s just a list of features that actually mean next to nothing to the man and woman in the street. Unless of course, you’re a total petrol head.

The problem is, lists of features like these don’t make people buy, which is what we’re all trying to do. Benefits make people buy. Or to put it another way: Features tell, but benefits sell.

But what is truly incredible is that you see and hear lists of features like these all the time – in ads, in brochures, on websites, and even on TV commercials. Very few advertisers even talk about benefits, much less make the effort to get really good at translating features into benefits. And yet power-packed words describing benefits are what trigger the emotions that make us spend our money, time or energy.

So perhaps that earlier ad copy should have said something like: This car has a smooth, powerful engine, something you’ll appreciate when you pull out to overtake. The extra power will also help you avoid obstacles and quickly get you and your family out of harm’s way, while the extra safety features ensure you’re all safe and secure. And it’s great fun to drive!

Turning features into benefits

First, there’s another term to throw into the mix. Advantages. Simply put, they turn features into benefits. Here’s how you can compile a list of features and turn them into advantages and benefits for any product or service.

Features are what products have. For example, ‘This pushchair has a durable, lightweight aluminium chassis.’

Advantages are what features do. For example, ‘The durable, lightweight aluminium chassis makes the XYZ strong and yet easy to push.’

Benefits are what features mean. For example, ‘This means that you can take baby for long, relaxing, sleep-inducing walks without tiring. And the XYZ will give you years of trouble-free service, so it could be taking your children’s children for long walks too.’

So, to summarise, you need to interrogate your product or service and write down as many features as you can. But don’t stop there. Work out what the advantages of all these features are. Then turn these advantages into benefits and hammer them home in every single piece of advertising you do.

When cash is key, try bootstrapping!

They say your business will live or die by its sales. Everyone knows you can have the best product or service in the world, but if someone won’t give you money for it, it’s worthless.

To drive your sales you need good marketing. You need to find a way to attract people’s attention to your business and its products, and help them make a conscious decision to purchase from you. But if you’re on a tight budget, that can be tough.

The alternative is to bootstrap it. This is all about using creativity rather than cash to shout about what you’re doing. Bootstrapping has practically become a culture, as a way to build and market a business without risking a huge amount of cash. Here’s just five suggestions for starters:

1) Give away unusual freebies: Pens with your logo on are ‘old hat’ but thanks to powerful digital printing techniques, there are literally thousands of things that your logo can go on. Would potential clients better remember an underwear company that gave them an edible gingerbread man with tiny pants to remove and keep? That is disputable but it’s different and people will talk about it.

2) Keep your website fresh with new content: Google broadly rewards websites that consistently do two things: keep the content up-to-date, and add new content regularly. So just keep adding new pages with fresh content. Make a commitment to adding one new page a week and you will be surprised by how much extra traffic you get after a few months.

3) Launch a competition: If it’s not too expensive for you to give your services or products away, do it regularly. Plug the competition on your website. Or better still, contact the relevant media that talks to your potential customer base and ask if they’d be interested in a giveaway. But be aware many media outlets have a minimum competition stock value.

4) Get on YouTube: This video website gets a huge amount of traffic… and best of all, it’s easy and free to get on! Getting noticed on YouTube is often more about creative ideas and executing them well than just spending money. But don’t forget to put the video on your own website.

5) Start a newsletter: Use a regular email newsletter (like this one) to keep in touch with your existing clients (and up sell or cross sell to them), plus as a way to keep your business front of mind with potential customers. However, bear in mind that printed newsletters are more likely to get past gatekeepers such as PA’s and reach the bosses of big companies.

At Spot On Creative, we can help you with all of the above. And we’ll come up with plenty of other fresh ideas that’ll get you noticed and your message across. Why not give us a try?